The day the latest round of rain broke and the heat of summer finally settled over the valley, Andi got another package from Griffith, and that light of discovery came back to her. Tonight, they’d rush off to the observatory after supper.
Stella almost missed the cue to escape, helping Elsta with the dishes. When she was finished and drying her hands, Andi was at the door. Stella rushed in behind her. Then Toma brought out a basket, one of the ones as big as an embrace that they used to store just-washed wool in, and set it by Andi’s chair before the hearth. “Andi, get back here.”
Her hand was on the door, one foot over the threshold, and Stella thought she might keep going, pretending that she hadn’t heard. But her hand clenched on the door frame, and she turned around.
“We’ve got to get all this new wool processed, so you’ll stay in tonight to help.”
“I can do that tomorrow. I’ll work double tomorrow—”
“Now, Andi.”
Stella stepped forward, hands reaching for the basket. “Toma, I can do that.”
“No, you’re doing plenty already. Andi needs to do it.”
“I’ll be done with the mending in a minute and can finish that in no time at all. Really, it’s all right.”
He looked past her, to Andi. “You know the rules—household business first.”
“The household business is done. This is make work!” she said. Toma held the basket out in reproof.
Stella tried again. “But I like carding.” It sounded lame—no one liked carding.
But Andi had surrendered, coming away from the door, shuffling toward her chair. “Stella, it’s all right. Not your argument.”
“But—” The pleading in her gaze felt naked. She wanted to help, how could she help?
Andi slumped in the chair without looking up. All Stella could do was sit in her own chair, with her knitting. She jabbed herself with the needle three times, from glancing up at Andi every other stitch.
Toma sat before his workbench, looking pleased for nearly the first time since Stella had met him.
•
Well after dark, Stella lay in her bed, stomach in knots. Andi was in the other bed and hadn’t said a word all evening.
“Andi? Are you all right?” she whispered. She stared across the room, to the slope of the other woman, mounded her under blanket. The lump didn’t move, but didn’t look relaxed in sleep. But if she didn’t want to talk, Stella wouldn’t force her.
“I’m okay,” Andi sighed, finally.
“Anything I can do?”
Another long pause, and Stella was sure she’d said too much. Then, “You’re a good person, Stella. Anyone ever told you that?”
Stella crawled out from under her covers, crossed to Andi’s bed, climbed in with her. Andi pulled the covers up over them both, and the women held each other.
•
Toma sent Andi on an errand, delivering a set of blankets to the next waystation and picking up messages to bring back. More makework. The task could just have as easily been done by the next wagon messenger to pass by. Andi told him as much, standing outside the work house the next morning.
“Why wait when we can get the job done now?” Toma answered, hefting the backpack, stuffed to bursting with newly woven woolens, toward her.
Stella was at her loom, and her hand on the shuttle paused as she listened. But Andi didn’t say anything else. Only glared at Toma a good long minute before taking up the pack. She’d be gone most of the day, hiking there and back.
Which was the point, wasn’t it?
Stella contrived to find jobs that kept Toma in sight, sorting and carding wool outside where he was working repairing a fence, when she should have been weaving. So she saw when Toma studied the hammer in his hand, looked up the hill, and started walking the path to Andi’s observatory.
Stella dropped the basket of wool she was holding and ran.
He was merely walking. Stella overtook him easily, at first. But after fifty yards of running, she slowed, clutching at a stitch in her side. Gasping for breath with burning lungs, she kept on, step after step, hauling herself up the hill, desperate to get there first.
“Stella, go back, don’t get in the middle of this.”
Even if she could catch enough of her breath to speak, she didn’t know what she would say. He lengthened his stride, gaining on her. She got to the shed a bare few steps before him.
The door didn’t have a lock; it had never needed one. Stella pressed herself across it and faced out, to Toma, marching closer. At least she had something to lean on for the moment.
“Move aside, Stella. She’s got to grow up and get on with what’s important,” Toma said.
“This is important.”
He stopped, studied her. He gripped the handle of the hammer like it was a weapon. Her heart thudded. How angry was he?
Toma considered, then said, “Stella. You’re here because I wanted to do Az a favor. I can change my mind. I can send a message to Nance and the committee that it just isn’t working out. I can do that.”
Panic brought sudden tears to her eyes. He wouldn’t dare, he couldn’t, she’d proven herself already in just a few weeks, hadn’t she? The committee wouldn’t believe him, couldn’t listen to him. But she couldn’t be sure of that, could she?
Best thing to do would be to step aside. He was head of the household, it was his call. She ought to do as he said, because her place here wasn’t secure. A month ago that might not have mattered, but now—she wanted to stay, she had to stay.
And if she stepped aside, leaving Toma free to enter the shed, what would she tell Andi afterward?
She swallowed the lump in her throat and found words. “I know disaster can still happen. I know the droughts and storms and plagues do still come and can take away everything. Better than anyone, I know. But we have to start building again sometime, yes? People like Andi have to start building, and we have to let them, even if it seems useless to the rest of us. Because it isn’t useless, it—it’s beautiful.”
He stared at her for a long time. She thought maybe he was considering how to wrestle her away from the door. He was bigger than she was, and she wasn’t strong. It wouldn’t take much. But she’d fight.
“You’re infatuated, that’s all,” he said.
Maybe, not that it mattered.
Then he said, “You’re not going to move away, are you?”
Shaking her head, Stella flattened herself more firmly against the door.
Toma’s grip on the hammer loosened, just a bit. “My grandparents—has Andi told you about my grandparents? They were children when the big fall came. They remembered what it was like. Mostly they talked about what they’d lost, all the things they had and didn’t now. And I thought, all those things they missed, that they wanted back—that was what caused the fall in the first place, wasn’t it? We don’t need it, any of it.”
“Andi needs it. And it’s not hurting anything.” What else could she say, she had to say something that would make it all right. “Better things will come, or what’s the point?”
A weird crooked smile turned Toma’s lips, and he shifted his grip on the hammer. Holding it by the head now, he let it dangle by his leg. “God, what a world,” he muttered. Stella still couldn’t tell if he was going to force her away from the door. She held her breath.
Toma said, “Don’t tell Andi about this. All right?”
She nodded. “All right.”
Toma turned and started down the trail, a calm and steady pace. Like a man who’d just gone out for a walk.
Stella slid to the ground and sat on the grass by the wall until the old man was out of sight. Finally, after scrubbing the tears from her face, she followed him down, returning to the cottages and her work.
•
Andi was home in time for supper, and the household ate together as usual. The woman was quiet and kept making quick glances at Toma, who avoided looking back at all. It was like she knew Toma had had a plan. Stella
couldn’t say anything until they were alone.
The night was clear, the moon was dark. Stella’d learned enough from Andi to know it was a good night for stargazing. As they were cleaning up after the meal, she touched Andi’s hand. “Let’s go to the observatory.”
Andi glanced at Toma, and her lips pressed together, grim. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I think it’ll be okay.”
Andi clearly didn’t believe her, so Stella took her hand, and together they walked out of the cottage, then across the yard, past the work house, and to the trail that led up the hill to the observatory.
And it was all right.
•
Contributors
Megan Arkenberg lives and writes in Wisconsin. Her work has appeared in Asimov’s, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year, Volume 5, and dozens of other places. In 2012, her poem “The Curator Speaks in the Department of Dead Languages” won the Rhysling Award in the long form category. She procrastinates by editing the fantasy e-zine Mirror Dance.
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Richard Bowes has won two World Fantasy, an International Horror Guild and Million Writer Awards. His new novel, Dust Devil on a Quiet Street, recently appeared from Lethe Press, which has also republished his Lambda Award-winning novel Minions of the Moon. Recent and forthcoming appearances include: F&SF, Icarus, Lightspeed and the anthologies After, Wilde Stories 2013, Bloody Fabulous, Ghosts: Recent Hauntings, Handsome Devil, Hauntings and Where Thy Dark Eye Glances.
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Sarah Diemer is an award-winning author of lesbian young adult speculative fiction, including her debut novel, The Dark Wife, and the year long fiction project, Project Unicorn: A Lesbian YA Extravaganza. Sarah writes her lesbian adult fiction under the pen name Elora Bishop, including the Sappho’s Fables: Lesbian Fairy Tales series, which she co-writes with her wife, author Jennifer Diemer. Find out more about her work at oceanid.org and muserising.com.
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Jewelle Gomez is the author of seven books including the cult classic lesbian vampire novel, The Gilda Stories, which has been in print for more than twenty years (alibris.com). Her adaptation of the novel for the stage—Bones and Ash—was performed by Urban Bush Women Company in thirteen US cities. Her new book in the series is entitled Gilda: The Alternate Decades and is looking for a home. She is also the author of Waiting for Giovanni, a play about James Baldwin which premiered at New Conservatory Theatre Center in 2011. Follow her @VampyreVamp and her home page jewellegomez.com.
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Kate Harrad is a London-based writer, parent and bisexual events organiser who blogs under the name Fausterella, which is also the title of her short story collection. Her first novel, All Lies and Jest, a gently speculative thriller almost featuring vampires, was published by Ghostwoods Books.
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Claire Humphrey’s short stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, PodCastle, Fantasy Magazine, and several anthologies including Beyond Binary and Imaginarium: Best Canadian Speculative Writing. She is a Viable Paradise graduate and an active SFWA member. She works in the book trade as a buyer for Indigo, and she is also the reviews editor at Ideomancer. As you’d expect, she is also working on a novel.
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Jamie Killen has sold stories to several venues including Red by Dawn 3 and The Drabblecast. She lives and works in Arizona.
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Andrea Kneeland’s work has appeared in more than fifty journals and anthologies. Her first collection, the Birds & the Beasts, is forthcoming from the Lit Pub.
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Malinda Lo is the author of several young adult novels, including Ash, a retelling of Cinderella with a lesbian twist, which was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. Before she became a novelist, she was an economics major, an editorial assistant, a graduate student, and an entertainment reporter. She lives in Northern California with her partner and their dog. Her website is malindalo.com.
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Alex Dally MacFarlane lives in London, where she is finishing a MA in Ancient History. When not researching ancient gender and narratives, she writes stories, found in Clarkesworld Magazine, Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer and The Other Half of the Sky. Poetry can be found in Stone Telling, Goblin Fruit, The Moment of Change and Here, We Cross. She is the editor of Aliens: Recent Encounters (2013) and The Mammoth Book of SF Stories by Women (forthcoming in late 2014). Visit her online at alexdallymacfarlane.com.
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Brit Mandelo is a writer, critic, and editor whose primary fields of interest are speculative fiction and queer literature, especially when the two coincide. She is the senior fiction editor for Strange Horizons magazine and has two books out, Beyond Binary: Genderqueer and Sexually Fluid Speculative Fiction (a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award) and We Wuz Pushed: On Joanna Russ and Radical Truth-telling. Her other work—fiction, nonfiction, poetry; she wears a lot of hats—has been featured in magazines such as Stone Telling, Clarkesworld, Apex, and Ideomancer. She also writes regularly for Tor.com and has several long-running column series there, including Queering SFF, a mix of criticism, editorials, and reviews on queer speculative fiction. She is a Louisville native and lives there with her partner in an apartment that doesn’t have room for all the books.
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JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through is a 2013 EPIC ebook Award finalist. JL Merrow is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team. Find JL Merrow online at jlmerrow.com.
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Julia Rios hosts the Outer Alliance Podcast (celebrating QUILTBAG speculative fiction), and is one of the three fiction editors at Strange Horizons. Her fiction, articles, interviews, and poetry have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, Stone Telling, Jabberwocky, and several other places. She’s half-Mexican, but her (fairly dreadful) French is better than her Spanish.
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Nisi Shawl’s collection Filter House was one of two books to win the 2009 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. Her work has been published at Strange Horizons, in Asimov’s SF Magazine, and in anthologies including The Other Half of the Sky and both volumes of the groundbreaking Dark Matter series. She was the Guest of Honor for WisCon 35, the world’s premier feminist science fiction convention. She edited Bloodchildren: Stories by the Octavia E. Butler Scholars, and co-edited Strange Matings: Octavia E. Butler, Science Fiction, Feminism, and African American Voices. With classmate Cynthia Ward she co-authored Writing the Other: A Practical Approach. Shawl is a cofounder of the Carl Brandon Society and serves on the Board of Directors of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. Her website is nisishawl.com.
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Benjanun Sriduangkaew spends her free time on words, amateur photography, and the pursuit of colorful, unusual makeup. She has a love for cities, airports, and bees. Her fiction can be found in GigaNotoSaurus, Beneath Ceaseless Skies and the anthologies Clockwork Phoenix 4 and The End of the Road.
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Carrie Vaughn is the bestselling author of a series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. The tenth novel in the series, Kitty Steals the Show, is due out in 2012. She’s also written novels for young adults (Voices of Dragons, Steel), two stand-alone novels (Discord’s Apple, After the Golden Age), and more than fifty short stories. She’s been nominated for the Hugo Award for best short story, and is a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop. After living the nomadic childhood of a typical Air Force brat, she’s managed to put down roots in
Colorado, where she lives with her fluffy attack dog and too many hobbies.
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Wendy N. Wagner’s short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies and several anthologies, including Armored and The Way of the Wizard. Her first novel, a Pathfinder Tales adventure, is forthcoming in 2014. An avid gamer and gardener, she lives with her wonderful family in Portland, Oregon. You can keep up with her at winniewoohoo.com.
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And
Tenea D. Johnson is the author of the novels R/evolution and Smoketown, as well as Starting Friction, a poetry and prose collection. Her work has appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including the Lambda Award-winning Necrologue. She is also a musician who composes fiction albums and has had the good fortune to perform her pieces at the Knitting Factory and the Public Theater, among others. Her virtual home is teneadjohnson.com. Stop by anytime.
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Steve Berman takes much delight in discovering wonderful queer stories and helping authors share their voices. He has been a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for his editorial efforts four times, including for his work on Heiresses of Russ 2012. He resides in southern New Jersey.
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Publication Credits
“Introduction” © 2013 Tenea D. Johnson, original to this volume • “Harrowing Emily” © 2012 Megan Arkenberg, first appeared in Shimmer #15 • “Reality Girl” © 2012 Richard Bowes, first appeared in After (ed. by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, Hyperion) • “The Witch Sea” © 2012 Sarah Diemer, first appeared in Love Devours: Tales of Monstrous Adoration (CreateSpace) • “Saint Louis 1990” © 2012 Jewelle Gomez, first appeared in Night Shadows (ed. by Greg Herren and J. M. Redmann, Bold Strokes Books) • “Narrative Only” © 2012 Kate Harrad, first appeared in Glitterwolf #2 • “Nightfall in the Scent Garden” © 2012 Claire Humphrey, first appeared in Strange Horizons, March 5, 2012 • “Elm” © 2012 Jamie Killen, first appeared in The Future Fire • “Beneath Impossible Circumstances” © 2012 Andrea Kneeland, first appeared in Strange Horizons, April 16, 2012 • “One True Love” © 2012 Malinda Lo, first published in Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction (ed. by Carrie Ryan, Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers) • “Feed Me the Bones of Our Saints” © 2012 Alex Dally MacFarlane, first appeared in Strange Horizons, July 9 & 16, 2012 • “Winter Scheming” © 2012 Brit Mandelo, first appeared in Apex Magazine, June 5, 2012 • “Nine Days and Seven Tears” © 2012 JL Merrow, first appeared in She Shifters (ed. by Delilah Devlin, Cleis Press) • “Oracle Gretel” © 2012 Julia Rios, first appeared in a same-titled chapbook • “Otherwise” © 2012 Nisi Shawl, first appeared in Brave New Love (ed. by Paula Guran, Running Press) • “Chang’e Dashes from the Moon” © 2012 Benjanun Sriduangkaew, first appeared in Expanded Horizons, July 22, 2012 • “Astrophilia” © 2012 Carrie Vaughn, first appeared in Clarkesworld, July 2012 • “Barnstormers” © 2012 Wendy N. Wagner, first appeared in Ideomancer, Vol. 11, Issue 2
Heiresses of Russ 2013 Page 31
